Wow. This hat is so gorgeous, and so different! I love it! Can’t say it was relaxing knitting, though. It was fun to watch it take shape - WW mathed this thing out perfectly, and I am in awe! - but it required counting nearly every stitch. It did get easier as I went along and became more familiar with how it all worked, but it isn’t a project that you can put down when the doorbell rings.

Word of advice: make sure you note what line you’re on, even if you’re only setting it down for a minute!

I wouldn’t want to approach a larger project with this degree of focus, but a hat is quickly finished so it was well worth the effort. I’m looking forward to making the other Elementals. They’re so strikingly original.

Tip: Print the chart in grayscale, then use highlighters or colored pencils to fill in your colors. It makes it much easier to keep track of where you are when the chart colors match the knitting!

I added a pompom because I love them.

Color choices: This design seems to work best with two colors of roughly the same value (when you put them in grayscale, they look pretty much the same). The two colors I’ve used are not quite equal in value, but they’re pretty close. I’ll continue to keep the lighter one on top if I make another with a slight value difference.

Confession: I used a three-needle bind off rather than grafting. If I had color-matched it instead of using all one color, it would be invisible. But even as it is, it’s hard to find.

I used Åsa’s winding provisional cast on instead of the one in the pattern, because it works so very well and it requires almost no thought. I used a US1 needle as the second needle for the provisional, so it’s nice and tight.

It fits slightly loosely on my 23” melon (I like this fit for a slouchy hat, but it might not stay on in a high wind), which means this size/gauge is perfect for most men. Women are going to want to go down a couple needle sizes or even use sport weight yarn.

I need to make another for my son. Everyone is gonna want one of these when they see it!